The United States military seized an Iranian container ship near the Gulf in the early hours of Monday, sending tensions spiralling hours before Washington is due to send negotiators to Pakistan for talks aimed at ending their war.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) and President Donald Trump claimed the Touska was hit after it refused to follow US orders to withdraw from its planned passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The US has been imposing a naval blockade since last Monday
Iran has responded by describing the attack and hijack as an act of “piracy”, and threatened retribution. On Monday, hours after the attack and capture, Iran said it had no plans to send its negotiators for talks with the US in Islamabad.
This is the first non-military Iranian ship that US forces are known to have hit during the current war, and the first Iranian cargo vessel that the American military has captured since the start of its week-long naval blockade.
Here’s what we know about the capture of the ship, and why it matters:
What happened?
A little after midnight in Iran, CENTCOM announced that its guided-missile destroyer, the USS Spruance, had fired its 5-inch (127 mm) MK 45 gun at the ship’s engine room and disabled it.
According to the US military, the Touska was attempting to cross from the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz and was headed to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
Since April 13, the US military has enforced a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, in response to Iran blocking the passage of most vessels through the narrow waterway — except ships belonging to nations that have struck deals with Tehran.
Under its blockade, the US military is barring any ships belonging to Iran, or travelling to or from Iranian ports, from passing through the strait. In effect, this is blocking Iran’s own ships from exporting the country’s oil to other countries: According to Al Jazeera’s calculations, Iran earned nearly $5 billion in revenue from the export of oil in the month leading up to the US blockade.
According to the CENTCOM, “American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel [the Touska] it was in violation of the US blockade”.
“After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room,” the CENTCOM statement said, before the American destroyer fired at the Iranian ship.
Subsequently, US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit clambered onto the Touska, and captured the ship. In a grainy video released by CENTCOM, US troops can be seen flying from the USS Tripoli on helicopters, then using ropes to climb down to the Touska.
What do we know about the Touska?
The container ship flies under the Iranian flag. It is 294m (965 feet) long – only a little shorter than the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln at 332.8m (1092 feet) long.
The Touska is 32.25m (105.8 feet) wide.
The vessel and its owners have been under sanctions issued by the US Treasury Department and the US Office of Foreign Assets Control. They are accused of helping Iran break sanctions.
It is unclear what the Touska was carrying. Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that American troops are “seeing what’s on board”.
What has Iran said about the ship capture?
Early on Monday morning, Iran called the capture of the Touska an act of “piracy”.
Hours later, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters that Tehran had no plans to send its negotiators to Islamabad for a round of talks that Pakistan is trying to host as early as Tuesday. The US has said that its negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are going to Islamabad on Monday for talks.
Baghaei accused the US of “violating the ceasefire” that has largely held between the US and Iran since April 9.
“Iran does not trust Washington,” he said. Asked about the US negotiators expected to travel to Islamabad, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said: “There are indications from the American side that there is no seriousness on the side of the US to walk down the path of diplomacy”.
Separately, the Iranian military has said that it will hit back against the US for the ship’s seizure.
“We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military,” said a spokesperson for Khatam al-Anbiya, Iran’s joint military command.
Brazil’s development and training hub BrLab has announced the winners of its 15th edition, with Miami-based FiGa Films acquiring the sales rights to Val Hidalgo and Alice Stamato’s prizewinning drama “Ninho Tinto” (Red Nest).
The film from the Brazilian duo was among 12 projects selected for the annual event, which hosts producers, directors and writers from across Latin America, Spain and Portugal for a week of workshops, labs, mentorship and industry programming in São Paulo. A series of satellite events also take place in Brasília and Recife through early May.
Since its first edition in 2011, BrLab has grown from a small workshop for regional filmmakers into a key player in the development of independent cinema in Brazil, Latin America and the wider Ibero-American region, with projects from over 15 countries invited to take part this year.
“Reaching 15 years is both a celebration and a statement of persistence,” said BrLab founder, director and curator Rafael Sampaio. “Also, it’s a moment to evaluate and reaffirm our purposes and structures, considering all changes and challenges we’ve been facing in different countries in Latin America and everywhere.”
Sampaio noted that “this a region full of talents and creativity where producers and filmmakers constantly navigate instability — financial, political, institutional. In this international context, BrLab has become a regular solid event where projects are challenged and supported, experiencing this initial and fundamental moment in which a film is still only words and intentions.”
Along with its carefully curated line-up and hands-on approach to the development and support of each project, BrLab functions as a crucial bridge connecting filmmakers to both the regional and the international industry.
“Filmmakers and producers don’t just develop their films in isolation — they connect not only with themselves and tutors but also with co-producers, festivals and decision-makers that we bring to be part of each edition of BrLab, helping to position the curated projects internationally from an early stage,” said Sampaio. “In a context where structural support can be inconsistent, that mix of rigor, continuity and real access is what allows projects to move forward — not just as ideas, but as films that can exist and circulate.”
This year saw organizers introduce a raft of changes, including a shift from the event’s traditional October slot to early April, the launch of BrLab Kids, a new workshop dedicated to film and series projects for children and young audiences, and the introduction of a green initiative focused on sustainable industry practices in Latin America, backed by the event’s new presenting partner and lead sponsor, Petrobas.
“It is not about changing what already works — it’s about consolidating it and expanding its reach,” said Sampaio. “Rather than a shift in format, what we’ve done is to solidify the core of BrLab — the depth of the labs, the close mentorship, the international dialogue — while creating new layers around it. The idea is to strengthen the ecosystem that surrounds the projects, not just the projects themselves.”
One of the key additions this year was the Think Tank, which the lab developed in partnership with Petrobras and Cinema Verde. “It opens a space for broader, more strategic reflection on the Brazilian and Latin American industry — bringing together different players to discuss structural challenges, sustainability and the future of audiovisual production in Brazil and Latin America,” said Sampaio. “It’s less about immediate outcomes and more about long-term positioning.”
As of 2025, 62 feature films that participated in BrLab’s various sections have been produced and released, among them Diego Céspedes’ “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo” (Chile), which won the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section last year; Lila Halla’s “Levante” (Brazil), which screened in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2023; and “Légua,” by Portuguese filmmakers Filipa Reis and João Guerra, which premiered at Directors’ Fortnight the same year.
That track record is a tribute to the work that Sampaio and the organizing team continue to do to pursue their vision despite what he refers to as “institutional fragility,” particularly with funding for Brazil’s national film agency, Ancine, slashed under right-wing former president Jair Bolsonaro. Ancine was not among the supporters of the 15th edition of BrLab, which took place through partnerships with Programa Ibermedia, Spcine, Projeto Paradiso and Petrobras.
“The absence of Ancine was something unexpected that had an impact on the co-pro forum, but…our trajectory taught us we need to be more solid than our institutions,” Sampaio said. “The history of Latin American cinema and of BrLab reflects much more the struggle of professionals than institutions. It’s the effort of an international industry against the fragility of our politics and governments.”
Here’s a rundown of this year’s BrLab winners:
Vitrine Films Distribution Award: “Irmã Mais Velha” (The Older Sister) Director: Rafaela Camelo Producers: André Pereira, Mariana Muniz Screenwriters: Rafaela Camelo, André Pereira
Courtesy of BrLab
After her older sister dies tragically, 11-year-old Isabel is forced to live with her mother, Verônica, who hides a long-suppressed gift: the ability to channel the dead. Camelo, whose first feature, “The Nature of Invisible Things,” premiered at the Berlinale last year, noted: “I like to say that [my first film] shows how not every death has to be a tragedy. In ‘The Older Sister,’ the perspective on death changes radically. Here, death is inherently the tragedy that sets the story in motion. Isabel and Verônica must face this loss together, experience grief in its full intensity, and deal with the consequences it brings to their lives.”
Pop Up Film Residency Award: “El Umbral” (The Threshold) Director: Inti Jacanamijoy Producers: Jorge Forero, Inti Jacanamijoy Screenwriter: Inti Jacanamijoy, Óscar Adán
Courtesy of BrLab
A coming-of-age story about grief, memory and ancestral knowledge, “The Threshold” follows a young boy who returns to his family home after the death of his grandfather, a renowned shaman. When his grandmother also falls ill and prepares to cross the Kuriyako, the sacred place where her people go to die, an ancestral presence arrives in the house, blurring the boundary between the living and the dead. It’s a film that “connects a family story with the spiritual and metaphysical universe that inhabits our territories,” according to Forero, presenting “a cinematic proposal with the potential to become a standout film in today’s landscape.”
Cinéma en Développement + Projeto Paradiso Award: “Dentro do Rio” (Inside the River) Director/screenwriter: Bárbara Matias Kariri Producer: Maurício Macêdo
Courtesy of BrLab
When the construction of a dam threatens to submerge the indigenous community of Barro Vermelho, Lourdes, a teacher and single mother, is torn between accepting compensation and moving to the city or resisting alongside her family and community, for whom ancestry is a force of resistance and renewal. Matias Kariri said the story is “rooted in the Kariri cosmovision, bringing a perspective from Brazil’s deep interior with authenticity, imagination and a strong sense of authorship.” It uses a unique combination of animation with influences from theater and poetry to “reimagine trauma while opening space for other ways of being and understanding the world.”
Cesnik, Quintino, Salinas, Valerio and Fittipaldi Award: “A Última Cachorra” (The Last Dog on Earth) Director: Nina Kopko Producer: Letícia Friederich Screenwriters: Tainá Tokitaka, Nina Kopko
Courtesy of BrLab
Set in the very near future in São Paulo, where a new pandemic is thought to have eradicated the planet’s canine population, a rideshare driver is forced to decide if she’s going to stick to her plan to take her own life or find a way to protect what may be the last dog on earth. “Stories involving dogs create an immediate connection with a large part of the audience, due to the emotional place they occupy in our lives,” said the filmmakers. “Imagining a world where they are disappearing generates even more curiosity, especially as it takes place in the near future — both strange and familiar.”
The dystopian parody “Xoxa’s Show” is set in a world where Brazil’s most popular TV show stars are subjected to humiliations and violent challenges disguised as entertainment. When members of the crew begin to die, the line between spectacle and extermination starts to blur. Led by a trans crew and cast, “Xoxa’s Show” is “a celebration of the creativity of trans people,” said Dorneles. “Participating in BrLab is very important so that our careers, mine as a transvestite and Hilda’s as a non-binary person, are recognized and we can realize this work that plays with the collective imagination of the trans population with extreme intimacy.”
BrLab Rough Cut
Tanto Award: “Ninho Tinto” (Red Nest) Directors: Val Hidalgo, Alice Stamato Producer: Thiago Briglia
‘Red Nest’ (Courtesy of BrLab)
Set in northern Brazil, “Red Nest” follows a Venezuelan immigrant, Frangela, whose stable life is upended by the unexpected arrival of her 11-year-old son. With Alejandro’s arrival, both Frangela and her partner try to build an emotional bond with the boy as they attempt to create a new home. “What is a home?” the directors asked. While the word can mean many things, “there is something that always runs through it: the affections we weave around it, the people we form bonds with, and the small gestures through which we offer and share parts of ourselves,” they said. “Red Nest” offers “a sensitive portrait of how these bonds are rebuilt within a migratory context shaped by vulnerability. Yet it is also, above all, a gesture of resilience and an affirmation of life.”
Patrick Muldoon, an actor who starred in “Days of Our Lives” and “Melrose Place,” died on Sunday, his manager confirmed to Variety. He was 57.
From 1992 to 1995, Muldoon originated the role of Austin Reed on the daytime soap opera “Days of Our Lives.” He returned to the soap to reprise the role from 2011 to 2012.
He also had a recurring role as Jeffrey Hunter in the teen television series “Saved by the Bell” in 1991. Muldoon also starred on the primetime soap opera “Melrose Place” from 1995 to 1996, playing the villain Richard Hart.
In 1997, Muldoon played the role of Zander Barcalow in the film “Starship Troopers,” directed by Paul Verhoeven.
Muldoon was also an active producer, working on a slew of movies including “The Tribes of Palos Verdes,” “Arkansas,” “Marlowe,” “The Card Counter,” “The Dreadful” and “Riff Raff” through his Storyboard Productions. He was set to produce the upcoming feature “Kockroach,” starring Chris Hemsworth. Just two days ago, Muldoon posted on Instagram: “So excited to be a part of this amazing project KOCKROACH directed by Matt Ross starring Chris Hemsworth, Taron Edgerton, Zazzie Beetz and Alec Baldwin.” The production is currently filming in Australia.
His latest acting role was in “Dirty Hands,” a new crime thriller with Denise Richards and Michael Beach. The film is slated to be released later this month.
Muldoon is survived by his partner, Miriam Rothbart; parents Deanna and Patrick Muldoon, Sr.; sister and brother-in-law Shana and Ahmet Zappa, niece Halo and nephew Arrow Zappa.
Islamabad talks in limbo as Tehran says it will retaliate after US marines capture an Iranian-flagged ship near the Strait of Hormuz.
Published On 20 Apr 202620 Apr 2026
Donald Trump announced on Sunday that a second round of US-Iran talks is to be held in Pakistan on Monday – but Tehran has not confirmed participation, two days before a ceasefire deal expires.
The capture by US Marines of an Iranian-flagged container ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday has further clouded the Islamabad talks, as Tehran has pledged to retaliate.
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The attack came hours after President Trump announced he is sending a team to Islamabad for talks, while once again threatening to knock out Iran’s power plants and bridges if there is no deal. The ceasefire, which ended more than a month of war, expires on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, spoke on Sunday with Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, as he reaffirmed his government’s readiness to mediate the conflict.
Here is what we know:
In Iran
Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, accused the US of violating the ceasefire by shooting at an Iranian ship in the Gulf of Oman and vowed to retaliate.
President Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday that US Marines captured a vessel that tried to get past the American blockade on Iranian ports, adding that US forces stopped the ship by blowing a hole in its engine room.
Iran executed two men convicted of cooperating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence service and planning attacks inside the country, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan reported on Sunday.
French shipping company, CMA CGM, confirmed on Sunday that “warning shots” were fired at one of its ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
Iran’s armed forces turned back two tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after issuing warnings. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said that was a result of the continuing US maritime blockade on Iran.
International flights from Mashhad airport in northeast Iran will resume on Monday, the civil aviation authority said.
War diplomacy
Iranian state media reported that Tehran had rejected new peace talks, citing the ongoing blockade, threatening rhetoric, and Washington’s shifting positions and “excessive demands.”
Iranian state media reported on Sunday that Tehran was not planning to take part in talks with the United States, hours after Trump said he was dispatching negotiators to Islamabad.
The US president posted on Truth Social on Sunday that representatives are going to Islamabad “tomorrow night” for Iran negotiations. “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran,” Trump wrote.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif said on Sunday that he spoke with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian about the conflict in the Gulf. Sharif posted on X that he shared insights with Pezeshkian regarding his recent conversations with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye.
“I appreciated Iran’s engagement, including its high-level delegation to Islamabad for the historic talks, and recent discussions with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Tehran,” Sharif said.
Turkiye’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, said on Sunday he was “optimistic” that a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, which expires on Wednesday, would be extended, allowing more time for talks between the sides. Vice President JD Vance led the US delegation for the first round of talks in Islamabad. They ended without a deal [Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AP Photo]
In the US
Trump said on Sunday that the guided-missile destroyer, USS Spruance, fired on and seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship, Touska, in the Gulf of Oman, and US Marines were “seeing what’s on board!”
The US president said Iran has committed a “serious violation” of the ceasefire but still thinks he can get a peace deal, ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl posted on X on Sunday. Trump added that a peace deal “will happen. One way or another”.
In Israel
Argentine President Javier Milei, has reaffirmed his country’s support for the campaign against Iran, citing his government’s earlier decision to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a “terrorist organisation”.
Milei, who is visiting Israel for the third time since taking office, declared on Sunday that the joint US-Israel war against Iran was the “right thing to do”, as he signed on to the so-called Isaac Accords aimed at deepening bilateral ties between Israel and Latin American countries.
In Lebanon
The Israeli military on Monday warned residents in southern Lebanon not to move south of a specified line of villages or approach areas near the Litani River, saying its forces remain deployed in the area during a ceasefire due to what it described as continued Hezbollah activity.
The Israeli army also said it had determined that an image circulating on social media showing a soldier in south Lebanon hitting a statue of Jesus Christ is authentic and depicts one of its troops.
The viral photo of the Israeli soldier hitting the Jesus statue with a sledgehammer has sparked outrage.
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to meet Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris on Tuesday. The announcement follows the killing of a French peacekeeper in Lebanon during the fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military will use “full force” in Lebanon – even during the ongoing ceasefire – should Israeli troops face any threat from Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s military said it has reopened a road and bridge between Nabatieh and Khardali, which were damaged by Israeli strikes in the south.
Oil prices rise
Oil prices surged on Monday following the re-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East war However, lingering hopes that a deal to end the seven-week crisis continued to support equities, despite Tehran saying it was not planning to attend peace talks.
“The Sentinels,” Canal+‘s hugely ambitious French TV series blending superhero, steampunk and sci-fi themes into a WWI action drama, has found at home in the U.K.
In a deal with Studiocanal, the BBC has acquired the series, which is produced by Federation Studios France and Esprits Frappeurs and was already simultaneous released by Canal+ last year across more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Based on the comic book series “Les Sentinelles” by Xavier Dorison and Enrique Breccia (éditions Delcourt), “The Sentinels” was created by Guillaume Lemans in collaboration with Xabi Molia, written by Guillaume Lemans, Molia and Raphaëlle Richet, and directed by Thierry Poiraud and Édouard Salier.
The story takes place at the outbreak of WWI, when a severely wounded soldier named Gabriel Ferraud is selected for a top-secret research program headed by the French Army that aims to create a whole new breed of combatant. After being injected with a mysterious serum, Gabriel is endowed with unprecedented abilities. Now stronger, faster, and more resistant than the average human, he joins an elite unit of augmented soldiers known as the Sentinels. But he is soon confronted with a terrifying reality that could change the course of the war.
The series is produced by Lionel Uzan and Thierry Sorel for Federation Studio France, and Delphine Clot and Guillaume Lemans for Esprits Frappeurs.
Alongside the unprecedented Canal+ rollout, the series has also aired in Australia (SBS), Belgium (BeTV), Benelux (Play Media), Germany (ProSieben), Canada (TV5), Denmark (DR), Greece (NOVA), Portugal (NOS), Spain (Disney), Turkey (Tivibu) and has sold to more than 60 territories worldwide.
“The Sentinels” will premiere in the U.K. exclusively on BBC iPlayer and BBC Four later this year.
Assi Azar is set to host a new celebrity-driven series “Who Wants to Start?” in which a handful of celebrities who share a “defining life moment” sit down together to discuss it on camera.
Each episode will gather five celebrities who have all experienced a life-changing event such as anxiety, divorce, parenthood or grief, to discuss it in front of a studio audience. There is no script and no celebrity will know who else is taking part until they walk onto the set. Other topics include addiction and recovery, body image, illness, betrayal and financial collapse.
Azar, one of Israel’s most prominent TV creator and presenter, will host and moderate. There will also be other devices to keep the conversation flowing, including multiple sealed envelopes in the room which each contain a question or a prompt, plus interactive elements such as quick-fire questions and mini-games. The aim is to build the conversation towards a closing reflection as the group shares what they have taken from the experience.
The show, from Keshet 12, was created by Azar together with Anat Stalinsky (“The A-Talks”) and Keshet Broadcasting. It is conceived as a returnable format.
Assi Azar (Alon Shafransky/Keshet)
“Who Wants to Start?” is produced by Baron Productions. Ido Baron (“Off Road”) is a producer. It is set to premiere later this summer on Israeli network Keshet 12. Keshet are repping global sales for the format, which will launch at this year’s Mipcom.
“Throughout my career, I’ve learned the power of sharing the things we usually keep to ourselves,” said Azar, who is also an LGBTQ+ activist. “Coming out and speaking about my anxiety showed me how not alone we really are—and that’s what inspired ‘Who Wants to Start?.’ It’s a simple idea: we are not alone. And that’s what this show is here to prove.”
Hilik Sharir, CEO of Keshet 12, said: “At Keshet 12, we look for formats that connect with a broad primetime audience while staying true to warmth, humor and real human connection. ‘Who Wants to Start?’ does exactly that—creating meaningful, entertaining television without relying on conflict, and showing well-known personalities in a more open, human way.”
Kelly Wright, Keshet International’s MD of Distribution, added: “‘Who Wants to Start?’ has everything buyers are looking for: a simple, repeatable format with a strong universal hook and genuine emotional payoff. With a changing group of celebrity participants, none of whom know quite what they’re getting into, each episode stays fresh and authentic. The intimacy of the format keeps it cost-efficient, making it compelling content to stimulate broadcaster and platform offerings worldwide.”
Previous Keshet formats that have found success abroad include “Rising Star” (adapted in 17 countries), “Deal With It!” (produced in over 20 territories) and international hit “The Vault” (which aired in 18 markets).
Lionsgate Play has confirmed a second season of “Heated Rivalry” for 2027, alongside a theatrical-first release model for a curated slate of premium Hollywood titles and more than 100 premieres lined up for India in 2026.
The theatrical push, set to begin in September, will see 10–12 titles debut in Indian cinemas before arriving on the platform. Among the films earmarked for that window are Russell Crowe’s “Billion Dollar Spy,” Gerard Butler’s “Empire City,” Robert Pattinson‘s “Primetime,” Mark Wahlberg’s “By Any Means,” and snake creature feature “Titan.”
The wider 2026 lineup is also heavy on high-profile Hollywood talent. Butler returns in “Greenland 2: Migration,” joined by Jason Statham in “Mutiny,” Angelina Jolie in “Couture,” Zac Efron in “Famous,” and Matthew McConaughey in “The Rivals of Amziah King.” The franchise side of the slate grows with “Apollo Has Fallen” and a third season of “Vigil.”
“Over the past few years, we’ve built Lionsgate Play into a destination for bold, high-impact storytelling,” said Rohit Jain, who acquired the platform from Lionsgate earlier this year following an eight-year tenure as its Asia president. “In 2026, we’re delivering on that vision at full scale, with 100+ premieres, returning franchises, and now, the big screen itself under one roof.”
Lionsgate Play operates across eight Asian markets and reaches more than 40 million viewers in India, where it distributes primarily through a B2B2C model via partners including JioHotstar, Airtel Xstream, and Amazon Prime Video Channels. The platform, which focuses on Hollywood content alongside regional originals, operates under a multi-year licensing agreement with Lionsgate covering branding and content.
Islamabad, Pakistan – Iran signalled on Monday that it had no plans to send negotiators to Islamabad for a new round of talks with the US, threatening Pakistan’s plans for multi-day negotiations between the warring nations less than 48 hours before a fragile ceasefire is set to expire.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Washington had “violated the ceasefire from the beginning of its implementation,” citing the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since April 13, and the overnight capture of Iranian container ship by the American military as breaches of both the truce and international law.
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He warned that if the US and Israel launched fresh aggression, Iran’s armed forces “will respond accordingly,” while reaffirming that Tehran’s 10-point proposal, submitted ahead of the first round of Islamabad talks remained its basis for any negotiation.
“The US is not learning its lessons from experience,” Baghaei said, “and this will never lead to good results.”
He said Iran had informed Pakistan, the principal mediator between the two sides, of these violations.
Pakistani officials said they remain cautiously hopeful that they can bring the two sides back to negotiating table. Islamabad has been gearing up to host the second round of talks between the United States and Iran aimed at ending their war.
But officials acknowledged that but rising tensions in recent hours have cast a cloud over the prospects of negotiations.
Unlike the first round of talks held in Islamabad on April 11, Pakistan has been aiming to get the US and Iran to agree to multiple days of negotiations, until a temporary deal – mediators are calling it a memorandum of understanding – is signed, effectively extending the ceasefire, sources close to these efforts have told Al Jazeera. If the MoU is agreed, it would give negotiators a longer window – even up to 60 days – to secure a longer peace deal.
But all of that will hinge on the participation of Iran, which has now said that it has no plans for talks, following a rapid escalation in tensions over the past 24 hours.
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that his representatives were heading to Pakistan for a second round of negotiations with Iran, as a ceasefire, due to expire on Wednesday, edges towards its deadline. But Trump accompanied his announcement with a revival of earlier pre-ceasefire threats to bomb Iran’s energy and power facilities.
“My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan. They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He accused Iran of a “Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement” after Iranian gunboats fired on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, hitting ships including a French vessel and a British freighter.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” Trump wrote. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
The tensions did not ease overnight. In the early hours of Monday, Trump announced on Truth Social that the US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Spruance had intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, the Touska, nearly 900 feet (274 metres) long, in the Gulf of Oman after its crew refused to heed warnings to stop.
“Our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room,” Trump wrote. US Marines have now taken charge of the vessel, which Trump alleged was under US Treasury sanctions for prior illegal activity.
Iran has described the seizure of the ship as “piracy”.
The Serena Hotel is scheduled to host the anticipated next round of talks between the US and Iran. [Sohail Shahzad/EPA]
Pakistan’s preparations
Amid those military and social media exchanges between Iran and the United States, Pakistan has been busy getting ready to host talks that it – as the principal mediator between Washington and Tehran – hopes will yield a deal to end the war, now into its eighth week.
Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel asked guests to vacate by Sunday afternoon. The Serena Hotel, just a few kilometres away and the venue for the first round of talks a week earlier, soon issued the same order and stopped taking reservations.
Roads into the Red Zone, the capital’s most heavily fortified area, were sealed. The district houses key government buildings, including the National Assembly, foreign embassies and both five-star hotels. Thousands of additional police and paramilitary personnel arrived from across the country.
Barbed wire and barricades lined the streets, and most access routes were shut.
But even before Trump’s latest threat to blow up Iranian energy and power facilities, and the subsequent hijacking of the Iranian ship, Tehran was unclear about whether it would join the talks.
Minutes before Trump’s Truth Social message, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam wrote on his social media that violations of international law, the continuation of the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, threats of further strikes, and what he described as unreasonable demands could not be reconciled with a genuine pursuit of peace.
“As long as the naval blockade remains, faultlines remain,” he added.
The negotiators: The US and Iranian teams
Trump first said on Sunday that Vice President JD Vance, who had led the US team in the first round of Islamabad talks, would not visit the Pakistani capital this time around, because of security concerns.
But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said that Vance would join the US delegation, alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, the same team that led the first round.
Flight tracking data showed at least four US government aircraft carrying communications equipment and motorcade support landed on Sunday at PAF Base Nur Khan in Rawalpindi, the primary VIP entry point for Islamabad.
However, by late night, sources close to mediators told Al Jazeera that it was once again unclear whether Vance would travel to Islamabad on Monday. They said that the US might now send Witkoff and Kushner to Islamabad first, and if the talks actually happen, Vance might join them.
Amid Iranian hesitation over whether to join the Islamabad talks, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The call lasted about 45 minutes, the Pakistan PM’s office said.
Sharif briefed Pezeshkian on his recent visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye, where he met with their leaders, describing those engagements as helpful in “building consensus in support of a sustained process of dialogue and diplomacy”.
But by early Monday morning, Trump’s revived threats and the capture of the Iranian cargo ship have left the prospects of talks in Islamabad even more on edge than before.
Iran pushes back
Tehran pushed back sharply against Trump’s flurry of social media posts on Sunday.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said reports of a second round of talks in Islamabad were “not correct”, and blamed the lack of progress on what it described as American “greed”, unreasonable demands, shifting positions and “continuous contradictions”.
According to IRNA, the naval blockade – imposed by Trump last Monday, two days after the first round of Islamabad talks – violated the ceasefire understanding and had “so far prevented progress in negotiations”.
It added that “no clear prospect for productive negotiations is foreseen” under current conditions and dismissed US statements on talks as “a media game”, aimed at pressuring Iran through a “blame game”.
A satellite image shows shipping movement in the Strait of Hormuz on April 17, 2026, in Space. [Handout/ European Union/Copernicus Sentinel via Reuters]
In a post on X, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei went further, describing the US naval blockade as “unlawful and criminal” and saying it amounted to “war crime and crime against humanity”.
Despite the public denials, Iranian sources earlier on Sunday indicated a delegation was expected in Pakistan on Tuesday. It could include Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran’s team in the first round, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who had joined him then.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Araghchi and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar spoke by phone on Sunday and discussed “the need for continued dialogue and engagement as essential to resolving the current issues as soon as possible”.
Analysts say the gap between Iran’s public stance and private signalling reflects a deliberate strategy.
“This gap reflects a dual-track negotiation strategy,” Seyed Mojtaba Jalalzadeh, an international relations analyst based in Tehran, told Al Jazeera. “At the public level, Iran maintains a hardline position to preserve domestic legitimacy and increase its leverage; at the non-public level, by dispatching a team to Islamabad, it signals that it has not abandoned diplomacy but is instead testing its conditions.”
Fahd Humayun, an assistant professor of political science at Tufts University, agreed.
“When warring parties come to the table to negotiate, they come with the understanding that there is occasionally a gap between public posturing and private positions,” he told Al Jazeera. “My sense is that they will pick up from where they left off, rather than getting too caught up in the rhetoric that has emerged since”.
That divergence extends to the pace of negotiations.
Washington has pushed for a rapid resolution, with Trump repeatedly declaring the war “close to over” even as fighting continues. Tehran, by contrast, has shown little inclination to be rushed.
A diplomat in Islamabad, who has followed the talks closely, described the contrast.
“The previous round of talks is a great example. It appeared as if the Americans brought a stop-watch, whereas the Iranians came armed with a calendar,” the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
What is achievable?
Officials do not expect a final deal this week — even if the Iranians eventually agree to join talks in Islamabad.
The immediate goal is likely to be a ceasefire extension, with both sides in Islamabad working towards a limited understanding.
Pakistani officials expressed cautious optimism, saying the process was moving in a positive direction while stressing that a final agreement would require sustained engagement and compromise.
Unlike the first round, talks could run for several days, with the aim of agreeing on a framework for broader negotiations in the coming weeks and months.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf before anticipated peace talks in Islamabad, April 11, 2026. [Handout/Office of the Iranian Parliament Speaker via Reuters]
Humayun cautioned against viewing the first round as a failure.
“I wouldn’t characterise the first round as having failed, that assumes expectations of resolving the most difficult issues early on, which is unlikely in talks of this nature where the issues are so complex,” he said.
For this round, a ceasefire extension would be “a meaningful outcome in itself”, while both sides would likely be “probing for any shifts or flexibility in positions since they last spoke”.
It is that movement, he added, that would allow both sides to “politically sanction an extension of the ceasefire”.
“A ceasefire extension could represent the most minimal form of agreement achievable in this round,” Jalalzadeh said, adding that the deal Washington seeks is “far broader in scope and is rooted in a history stretching back 47 years”.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh, speaking on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye over the weekend, said “significant progress” had been made in the previous round but stressed that a framework must be agreed upon before talks could advance.
He described US demands on Iran’s nuclear programme as “maximalist”.
Ghalibaf was more direct. “There are many gaps and some fundamental points remain,” he said in televised remarks on Saturday night. “We are still far from the final discussion”.
The core sticking points, Iran’s nuclear programme and control of the Strait of Hormuz, remain unresolved since the first round, held on April 11, which lasted 21 hours and ended without agreement.
A separate Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is now in place, removing one of Tehran’s stated conditions for talks.
But Jalalzadeh said the ceasefire fell well short of satisfying Iran’s demands. “The current Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is temporary, fragile, and incomplete,” he told Al Jazeera, noting that Hezbollah – Tehran’s most powerful regional ally – was absent from the agreement, which the Lebanese government negotiated with Israel.
“This ceasefire is a tactical palliative, not a substitute for Iran’s strategic demand,” he said, adding that Tehran’s insistence on Lebanon being part of any broader deal, rather than handled through a separate arrangement, remained unchanged.
Humayun said Iran would want the Israel-Lebanon truce to hold and ideally include “some form of assurance against violations”.
US Vice President JD Vance with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks about Iran in Islamabad, April 11, 2026. [Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via Reuters]
The broader question, he said, is “whether Iran can secure at least some degree of US pressure on Israel to adhere to the ceasefire and to refrain from further escalation”.
The Sharif-Pezeshkian call capped an intensive week of Pakistani diplomacy.
Field Marshal Asim Munir travelled to Tehran last Wednesday, carrying what officials described as a new message from Washington.
Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said last week in Islamabad that Tehran would “do talks in Pakistan and nowhere else, because we trust Pakistan”.
Analysts say Pakistan’s value as a mediator lies in the rare credibility it holds with both sides.
Humayun said that even if this round produces no breakthrough, it would not necessarily erode trust in Islamabad.
“All parties understand how difficult these issues are and that, without Pakistan’s facilitation, they may not have reached this point at all,” he said.
Jalalzadeh offered a more cautious assessment, saying Pakistan’s role ultimately depends on results.
“If this round also fails, its standing as an effective mediator will be weakened, even if it continues to function as a minimal communication channel,” he said.
Still, he noted, Islamabad has already distinguished itself among countries that have attempted mediation, filling a gap left by others and establishing itself as a credible host.
Trump, however, insisted a deal would come regardless.
“It will happen. One way or another. The nice way or the hard way,” he told ABC News. “You can quote me.”
Islamabad talks in limbo as Tehran says it will retaliate after US marines capture an Iranian-flagged ship near the Strait of Hormuz.
Published On 20 Apr 202620 Apr 2026
Donald Trump announced on Sunday that a second round of US-Iran talks is to be held in Pakistan on Monday – but Tehran has not confirmed participation, two days before a ceasefire deal expires.
The capture by US Marines of an Iranian-flagged container ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday has further clouded the Islamabad talks, as Tehran has pledged to retaliate.
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The attack came hours after President Trump announced he is sending a team to Islamabad for talks, while once again threatening to knock out Iran’s power plants and bridges if there is no deal. The ceasefire, which ended more than a month of war, expires on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, spoke on Sunday with Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, as he reaffirmed his government’s readiness to mediate the conflict.
Here is what we know:
In Iran
Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, accused the US of violating the ceasefire by shooting at an Iranian ship in the Gulf of Oman and vowed to retaliate.
President Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday that US Marines captured a vessel that tried to get past the American blockade on Iranian ports, adding that US forces stopped the ship by blowing a hole in its engine room.
Iran executed two men convicted of cooperating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence service and planning attacks inside the country, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan reported on Sunday.
French shipping company, CMA CGM, confirmed on Sunday that “warning shots” were fired at one of its ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
Iran’s armed forces turned back two tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after issuing warnings. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said that was a result of the continuing US maritime blockade on Iran.
International flights from Mashhad airport in northeast Iran will resume on Monday, the civil aviation authority said.
War diplomacy
Iranian state media reported that Tehran had rejected new peace talks, citing the ongoing blockade, threatening rhetoric, and Washington’s shifting positions and “excessive demands.”
Iranian state media reported on Sunday that Tehran was not planning to take part in talks with the United States, hours after Trump said he was dispatching negotiators to Islamabad.
The US president posted on Truth Social on Sunday that representatives are going to Islamabad “tomorrow night” for Iran negotiations. “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran,” Trump wrote.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif said on Sunday that he spoke with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian about the conflict in the Gulf. Sharif posted on X that he shared insights with Pezeshkian regarding his recent conversations with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye.
“I appreciated Iran’s engagement, including its high-level delegation to Islamabad for the historic talks, and recent discussions with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Tehran,” Sharif said.
Turkiye’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, said on Sunday he was “optimistic” that a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, which expires on Wednesday, would be extended, allowing more time for talks between the sides. Vice President JD Vance led the US delegation for the first round of talks in Islamabad. They ended without a deal [Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AP Photo]
In the US
Trump said on Sunday that the guided-missile destroyer, USS Spruance, fired on and seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship, Touska, in the Gulf of Oman, and US Marines were “seeing what’s on board!”
The US president said Iran has committed a “serious violation” of the ceasefire but still thinks he can get a peace deal, ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl posted on X on Sunday. Trump added that a peace deal “will happen. One way or another”.
In Israel
Argentine President Javier Milei, has reaffirmed his country’s support for the campaign against Iran, citing his government’s earlier decision to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a “terrorist organisation”.
Milei, who is visiting Israel for the third time since taking office, declared on Sunday that the joint US-Israel war against Iran was the “right thing to do”, as he signed on to the so-called Isaac Accords aimed at deepening bilateral ties between Israel and Latin American countries.
In Lebanon
The Israeli military on Monday warned residents in southern Lebanon not to move south of a specified line of villages or approach areas near the Litani River, saying its forces remain deployed in the area during a ceasefire due to what it described as continued Hezbollah activity.
The Israeli army also said it had determined that an image circulating on social media showing a soldier in south Lebanon hitting a statue of Jesus Christ is authentic and depicts one of its troops.
The viral photo of the Israeli soldier hitting the Jesus statue with a sledgehammer has sparked outrage.
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to meet Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris on Tuesday. The announcement follows the killing of a French peacekeeper in Lebanon during the fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military will use “full force” in Lebanon – even during the ongoing ceasefire – should Israeli troops face any threat from Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s military said it has reopened a road and bridge between Nabatieh and Khardali, which were damaged by Israeli strikes in the south.
Oil prices rise
Oil prices surged on Monday following the re-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East war However, lingering hopes that a deal to end the seven-week crisis continued to support equities, despite Tehran saying it was not planning to attend peace talks.
The Annecy Animation Showcase comes back to Cannes’ Marché du Film for yet another year, shedding light on five promising animated features.
Hailing from Japan, France and Mexico, these ongoing projects bring animation to Cannes, a collaboration between Cannes’ Marché du Film and the Annecy Festival which started in 2019 with an Animation Day and has been growing ever since.
“For Annecy, this Showcase represents a key extension of our commitment to supporting animation beyond the Festival itself, throughout the year,” said Annecy Festival CEO Mickaël Marin.
“Built over time with the Marché du Film, this collaboration allows us to accompany projects at a decisive stage, within one of the most strategic global platforms. It’s both a continuity and an amplification of our mission, in service of the movies,” he added.
“Animation has always had a strong presence in Cannes, particularly within the Official Selection,” underlined Alexandra Zakharchenko, head of industry programs at the Marché du Film. “In recent years, several animated titles presented in the Festival have achieved major international recognition and the role of animation within the broader ecosystem of the Marché du Film has significantly evolved.”
Zakharchenko refers to films such as “Flow,” which debuted its circuit run at Cannes 2024, before meeting global success with audiences and critics alike. “Flow” and its surprise Academy Award win opened a path that other major indie animated titles such as Ugo Bienvenu’s “Arco” and “Little Amelie and the Character of Rain” have since tried as well.
“We are also seeing a growing interest in the potential of animation among professionals already attending Cannes, many of whom are no longer exclusively specialized in animation but are increasingly engaging with it,” continued Zakharchenko. “Private investors also increasingly view animation as an IP-driven business model. Animation travels across territories, platforms and generations, while offering long-term value beyond the screen. As buyers shift from volume to durability, animation stands out as a resilient ecosystem – connecting storytelling, fandom, distribution and global exploitation in ways few other formats can.”
According to Zakharchenko, this shift is something the teams aim to reflect at the Marché du Film itself, where animation is no longer confined to a single Animation Day, but is now embedded across the entire market under the Cannes Animation umbrella, spanning a wide range of formats: from work-in-progress and finished film showcases to panels, workshops, networking events, and its integration into other programs, including targeted co-production meetings.
This year, with Japan the 2026 Country of Honor at the Marché du Film, the teams are also placing a particular focus on Japanese animation, alongside the longstanding strength and global reputation of French animation, a focus that is mirrored in the five projects selected for this year’s Annecy Animation Showcase.
Betrayed during Edo Castle’s reconstruction, legendary craftsman Jingoro Hidari loses his father figure, fiancée, and even his right arm. Forging lethal mechanical prosthetics, he turns grief into vengeance and carves a path to justice with his loyal “Sleeping Cat.”
A pilot film teasing the mindblowing wooden stop-motion technique used to bring “Hidari” to life was shared three years ago by the project teams as proof of concept, along with BTS footage. Per “Hidari’s” team, Japanese animation is still highly recognized across the world for its unique visual language, which gives it the distinct flare. “We wanted to create an entertainment piece that no one has seen before, by merging this world of Japanimation and the technique of stop-motion animation. To do so, breathing life into wood (through wooden puppets animated in stop motion) mirrored both our artistic intentions and the anecdotes surrounding Jingoro Hidari’s life.” The project goes beyond live-action and 2D animation to craft a one-of-a-kind look, with a lot of potential for memorable action sequences.
On a cold winter morning, a battle rages in the surroundings of a small town in the Italian Renaissance. As the military tactics gradually go awry, two movements oppose each other: the desire to win and the desire to live. Written and directed by Annecy-nominated artist Vergine Keaton, “Bataille” draws from Renaissance art to transform a single conflict into a universal allegory.
“Beyond the grand scale,” said Keaton, the film “dissects group dynamics (hierarchy, power, submission) and transcends history to focus on the intimate. And in doing so, ‘Bataille’ weaves a tapestry of individual stories.” With French singer-songwriter Pomme taking part in the project, which is backed by France’s CNC National Film Board, “Bataille’s” distinctive style and universal message have all that it takes to charm international buyers at this year’s showcase.
‘Bataille’
“Les chiens ne font pas des chats,” Alain Gagnol (France, Canada, Belgium)
Producers: Jérôme Duc-Maugé (Parmi les lucioles films), Brice Garnier (Kaïbou Production Inc.), Cédric Iland (UMEDIA)
Language: French; Genre: Drama; Artistic technique: 2D animation with 3D elements; Completion: 2027
Jules and Lola’s life has taken a sad turn after their parents’ death, but their routine is disrupted by their grandmother Jeanne, who turns up with a very special mission: to find a missing teenager. Thanks to their grandmother, they discover an extraordinary family legacy within themselves. With a star-studded French cast including Josiane Balasko as Jeanne, Golshifteh Farahani as Sunny, Philippe Katerine as Bono, Prune Bozo as Lola and Ethan Maury Tragherset as Jules, the latest film from Oscar-nominated writer-director and French animation veteran Alain Gagnol (“A Cat in Paris”) explores the bond between animals and humans, as the latter discover that cats and dogs can actually speak.
“I like to think that the world doesn’t stop at what our eyes can perceive,”, added Gagnol, as he shared details about a story playing with our imagination and moving across genres, from fantasy to road-movie to slapstick to poetry. “I wanted to address a family audience, as I’m convinced that the children’s perception of a film becomes richer with time. But above all, for this new film, I wanted to make them laugh!”
KMBO distributes in France, with Playtime handling international sales. “Les chiens ne font pas des chats,” has already received support from Eurimages, and is set for completion in 2027.
A young chef chasing a lost flavor lands in a ruined city without taste. Saved by Kasumi, his cooking awakens forgotten memories. But a dark force threatens to erase all desire — making his quest the last hope to save both worlds. The project, first revealed by “Pompo: The Cinephile” and “Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack” director Takayuki Hirao in 2024 at the New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival, Hokkaido, Japan, is a completely original film reuniting the “Pompo” team.
Ryoichiro Matsuo, Yunosuke Uno and Kosuke Arai produce for CLAP studio, which teased “Wasted Chef” as “a unique yet classic Japanese animation that challenges a new genre, combining cooking and science fiction.” Although few details have been made public yet, Crunchyroll previously reported that Hirao’s collaborators Shingo Adachi (character design) and Kenta Matsukuma (music) are working with the director again, after their successful collaboration on “Pompo.”
In a world where insects have gone extinct, Lexi preserves specimens in a collection for her uncle, Dr. Krause, an entomologist. After removing the pin from a rare Attacus atlas moth, she takes it home to hide her mistake, only to discover it has come back to life.
“Insectario” itself is brought to the big screen by established Mexican filmmaker Sofía Carrillo.“Sofía is one of the most distinctive and vibrant voices in animation in Mexico,” said Pimienta Films’ Nicolas Celis, producer of Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma.” “Her work stands out for its visually striking style, imbued with an unsettling and deeply emotional poetics.”
The two-time Ariel Awards winner and Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” team member makes her feature debut with this ambitious, narratively unique and sensitive film, already selected for Ventana Sur and the Quirino Awards Co-Production Forum, and backed by Mexican National Fund, Spain and Ibermedia Next.
